Reviews literature on birth order. An important conclusion is that birth order differences in anxiety level and affiliation are not generalized phenomena. Consistent birth order differences in both variables are found only among females. Firstborns are not habitually more anxious than laterborns and are not generally more affiliative than…

Examines early differences in mother-infant interaction as a function of infant birth order and birth spacing. Mother and infant behaviors were observed and recorded in the home for a two-hour period. (SS)

The author compares and analyzes American and Taiwanese maternity care systems, discussing the history of midwifery in Taiwan; the process by which a midwife establishes her practice; and her role in childbirth, abortion, adoption, and other services. (Author/DS)

Presents data and discussion comparing life-cycle measures of divorced women with those of women who had never divorced. Findings indicate that differences do exist in the timing of life-cycle events according to marital history, race, and education but that birth cohort association represents an overriding source of differential timing. (Author)

Two aspects of teenage fertility are examined in this paper: (1) teenage fertility, in general, does not follow the conventional family formation process in which conception follows marriage; and (2) there are considerable differences between White and non-White teenagers in proportions either pregnant outside of marriage or single at delivery.…

This correlational study of two groups of married women focuses on the relationships between childbearing intentions and measures of three antecedents of these intentions: perceived consequences of having children, social norms, and sex role ideal. (CM)

Miller Assessment for Preschoolers scores for 19 preschool children who had been full-term low birth weight babies indicated they had adequate preacademic skills. However, 47% were below the 25th percentile for coordination and 21.2% were at risk on the verbal index. (SK)

Examines the symbolic reality of unmarried mothers using Bormann's fantasy theme analysis and Q-methodology. Identifies three rhetorical visions with a dramatistic humanistic analysis produced by and about unmarried mothers: the Down and Out Vision, the Making the Best Vision, and the Yummie Vision. (MS)

Discusses inevitability of population aging, issues of population aging, and need for countries to incorporate aging policies. Maintains that developed countries with low fertility and mortality rates are already experiencing population aging and projected declines in fertility in other developing countries will mean substantial population aging…

Ability and achievement test scores of children, many of whose mothers continued schooling between births, show that maternal schooling increases the production of children's human capital and suggest benefits to postponing childbearing. (SK)

Studied head position preference in 20 newborns differing by Cesarean or vaginal delivery and sex. Found that neither factor accounted for differences. The head turned right more often and was maintained longer in this position during quiet wakefulness, regardless of scoring method. When using global scoring, duration of midline position was…

Reports on interviews with mothers and their partners while in the Labor and Delivery units of two hospitals in Tennessee. Determined from the interviews that the perinatal period provides an opportunity for family life education that can help couples explore expectations for shared involvement in childbearing along with other parenting concerns.…

Describes and explains the semi-periodic pattern obtained when comparing days of the month to the number of recorded births. (WRM)

A sizable literature has demonstrated that the achievement of children in early elementary school is related to their season of birth: Those born in summer typically perform less well than those born in the fall. A small literature indicates that more children diagnosed with specific learning disabilities (SLD) are born in the summer. We have…

Drawing on the theoretical and empirical foundations of two evolutionary models, we argue that, among humans and other mammals, a twofold selection process would parsimoniously account for sex-linked advantages in spatial contexts. In males, a superiority for both solving navigation-related spatial problems and understanding physical principles…